Fifteen minutes later, and Laura was already regretting Judy's offer. Though the car had been on the dual carriageway for only a minute or two, a mile was a long way to walk when there was no footpath. The aftermath of the anger and lack of breakfast had turned her muscles weak, and the constant thunder of speeding vehicles a metre or two away gave her a headache. She was still angry; angry with Christmas for dragging her into all this, angry at the police for the intrusion, at the traffic, at the rutted soft shoulder of the road that made progress so difficult, at life in all its generalities and specifics. But most of all she was angry at the betrayal the Guild had perpetrated on her. The Guild, whose specific duty was her care, who knew how obscene intrusive Listening was, and yet had still forced it on her. She stumbled and cursed the authorities that had allowed a road to be built without a hard shoulder.

Up ahead a car slowed, indicated and pulled over onto the shoulder. Some kind Samaritan, offering her a lift? Probably some married, middle-aged pervert who thought himself God's gift. Or a plain-clothes police officer. Oh, please, let it be a police officer. She was just in the mood. She would show them how unwise it was to piss off Laura A. Robinson.

A gap in the early-morning traffic approached, and the driver's door opened. Andrew Christmas jumped out, ran around the back of the car and opened the passenger door. He stood behind the door, blocking Laura's path. She stopped for a moment, then stormed on.

"Hello. Fancy meeting you here." Christmas grinned and leant on the top of the door.

"Piss off. I'm not in the mood."

"Well, I can see that."

"Get the fuck out my way." She aimed a kick at the door.

Christmas stood straight, but still held the door open. "Whoa, steady. I've only just stolen this car. It wouldn't be fair to return it with a dent in."

"What the hell do you want? Haven't you done enough? What, I'm still breathing, is that it? You're going to torment me to my grave?"

"Shit. In all my life I've never seen someone so angry, and let me tell you, I have a talent for making people angry. What's up?"

"Just piss off, okay? Just let me pass."

The grin disappeared. "No, seriously, what's happened? "

"You!" Laura stabbed a finger at his face. "You, you're what's happened. You've ruined my life, you know that?"

"Oh, I think that's a bit much. I might have ruined your day, but your life?"

"You have no idea, no bloody idea whatsoever, you arsehole."

"You have a falling out with the friends who picked you up from the police? Christ, you didn't kill them, did you?"

"Don't be so ... wait, you've been stalking me?"

"No. Well, not stalking, exactly. But I had to make sure you got home safely, didn't I? And when I saw the car pull over I couldn't exactly park up, not here, not without blowing my cover. What, you thought it was just some bizarre coincidence I happened to turn up? I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so I turned off at the next exit and doubled back."

"Okay? Okay? After ... and ...." Laura searched for words, but nothing could come close to expressing what she felt.

"What did they do, the police?" He appeared to show genuine concern.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Well, I won't if you don't tell me."

"They Listened to me, okay? Happy now? They Listened to me, no warning, no please, just tried to rip stuff out of me."

"They Listened to you?"

"Don't! You have no idea. Then that bastard of a Guild creep did the same thing."

"And they let you go?"

"No. Yes. I mean, they didn't 'let' me go. I just left. What, you think they'd hold me prisoner?" Drive on, he'd told Tony. We have to make sacrifices. Would he have held her prisoner? If he'd got her into the headquarters would she have been able to leave?

"Look, if we stay here we'll be picked up by the traffic police. Get in the car and I'll drive you somewhere. Get you breakfast at least."

"I've been abducted three times in the last twenty-four hours. You think I'll jump in a car with you?"

Christmas leant back on the top of the open door. "You know, I used to work closely with the police. Made some friends there. Now they'll shoot me on sight. Your friends in the Guild Listened to you. You're right, I'm not sure I do understand, but I can see how it affected you. So my friends are dead to me, yours are too. Seems to me neither of us can afford to throw away allies. And we're made for each other. You can't Listen to me, and it's not like I can Listen to anyone. But it's your choice."

He pulled the door half-closed, allowing Laura passage. She stomped past, deliberately shoving Christmas with her shoulder as she did so. As she reached the back of the car she stopped. After a few seconds she whirled round to face Christmas.

"Just breakfast," she said.

Christmas smiled and opened the door wide.